‘The most famous appellation in the Médoc has delivered some brilliant Bordeaux 2016 wines, although its size means you can’t buy with your eyes closed,’ wrote Jane Anson following the en primeur tastings in April 2017.

‘The first growths of Lafite, Latour and Mouton have come up with some of their best-ever wines.’

Eighteen months on and the analysis largely holds true, Anson said in her full report on the Médoc 2016 wines, published exclusively for Decanter Premium subscribers this week. If anything, the in-bottle tastings of classified estates show improvements for some of the big names.

Bordeaux 2016 on the Left Bank also looks set to be marked by the number of second and third wines that punch above their weight, not to mention some excellent Cru Bourgeois-level bottlings, Anson said.

The same could not be said of 2014, for instance, where it appeared clearer that much of the best fruit had gone into the first wines.

In 2016, Duhart-Milon has produced ‘one of the best Moulin de Duhart wines that I can remember’, said Anson.

However, she warned that 2016 in Pauillac may need a few years in the bottle to be approachable. ‘Take your time with these, they are likely to remain extremely tight for the foreseeable future,’ she said.